The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-09-11
A DOCTORS INVENTIONS.
A New "Milk-Shake" Patent-How Hypo-
dermic Syringe Needles Are Made.


Among the many inventors of Indiana there
are few who have worked in such various lines
or succeeded in attaining so many valuable re-
suits as Dr. George w. Lutz, of this city, and
yet his innate modesty and his Unsuitable desire
to contrive some new thing have kept him, COM
paratively speaking. great unknown. His
doctors eigs-dignifed by the name of physi
clans visiting -cart-are often to be seen bearing
medical men about the streets. His half dozen
surgical appliances are known to physicians and
sufferers everywhere. If you wish to see the
Doctor himself, the chances are that you will
find him in bis curiosity shop. in the upper part
of the old State bank building, working some
novel project.
When Journal reporter dropped in, day or
two since, he found the inventor in the particu-
larry complacent state of mind that indicates
victory, and without ado put the question:
"What is it now, DoctorP
Something that every man, woman and child
in the country is crying for" was the reply-''a
nilk-shaker"
Where Is itP'
''Right before your eyes"
II don't see anything but the glass"
THAT is about all there is of it."
And go it On the glass was cover such
as is commonly used in the milk-shake process,
except that through the center of it there ran a
spindle, and on this spindle, within the glass,
we're two spiral pl ates, making of it screw
such as is ordinarily used for propelng vessels
'.And how docs it works' queried the
porter
The Doctor picked up bow and string,
twisted the string around a grooved chuck
wheel, Slipped the wheel on the top of the spin
die and pushed the bow forward and back. The
screw revolved rapidly, and the water in the
glass went wnrling and bubbling in every d.
rection. "You the principle, ~ he said. ''When
a screw revolves something has to move. If the
screw cannot, then whatever is around it must.
When the bow goes forward everything at the
bottom of the glass is forced to the top When
it comes back everything at the top is forced to
the bottom. One move forward and back makes
twenty-five revolutions of the screw and mixes
your shake completely In every direction When
through, l lift this top off, dip the screw in
water and set it on the next glass. l can set six
glasses in row and mix them in less than min
ute"
The proposition needed no argument. It
selfevident. The invention is one of those SIM
PIE little things that makes the uninventive
man wonder why he didn't think OF it and patent
''What is that man doiner' asked the reporter.
nodding towards assistant who was working
with long sheet OF metal
Making hypodermic syringe needles"
why. supposed they were made of wire.
That is very common deusion. Nearly
every physician that have taxed with on the
subject thought that the holes through these
needles were drilled through them. If you were
to undertake to drill hole small enough for the
of hypodermic syringe through piece of
steel wire, your syringe needle would cost you
about fifty dollars. Consequently we take
a E
metal is cold-rolled steel. one two-hundred- and
sixtieth part of an inch in thickness If you
will watch the workman you will see it trans
formed to hollow needles"
The workman carefully cut off strip of the
metal about an eighth of inch in width and ten
feet long, which he ran through growing
machine. and converted it into a narrow gutter
Sharpening one end of this with the scissors. he
passed the point through hole, seized 1t
with pair of pliers, and pulled the entire strip
through, thereby rounding it until it was al
a process T6O6ate0
through die-hoies constantly decreasing in size,
until the tube became perfect. the edges OF the
strip being tightly pressed together that
their joint not perceprible. The slender
tube was then laid aside and new strip
taken
s.Whas else has to be done with it," asked the
reporter
First, it is Strengthened by heat I cannot
explain that to you because 1t is secret process
of my own. Then it is cut into pieces of proper
length for q needle and each piece IS tempered,
sharpened, polished, and nicke- plated
"How many times is piece OF metal handled
in all these processes"
.tFortv-four times"
The hypodermic syringe in which these
needles are used. by the way, is another patent
OF the Doctors the special feature being ex- |
panding, self-lubricating plunger, which avoids |
all difficulty arising from the plunger becoming |
loose in the tube 1t can be frightened or loos- |
ened by turning the end of the piston rod. !
Perhaps the most extraordinary article in the |
Doctors laboratory is the castle engine. Its |
unique character will be largely revealed to |
anyone familiar with machinery when it is |
stated that it has no valves, no eccentric, no |
steam chest, and only eight moving parts 1t is |
of 80 peculiar construction that principle |
could not be explained without diagram or the |
engine itself before the person who wishes to
understand it. In fact its chief feature Is
new mechanical movement. When complete a
four-horse power engine occupies floor space of
15x24 inches and stands two feet high The
engine proper is enclosed in iron and |
works in a mixture of water and oil. This is /
necessity account of the high speed which it
attains. They ordinarily seven
hundred revolutions per minute, but one
has been run three thousand hundred |
per minute. With such speed q
constant application of water and oil is required
to prevent an intense heating of the parts. 1t is
constructed throughout with counter balances
for the moving parts. and consequently runs
noiselessly and steadily. When not fastened to
the floor it may be run at full speed without
the slightest disturbance or place.
When running the only motion visible 10 that OF
the combined iy-wheel and band-wheel. A
smaller style of this engine, only one foot high,
and yet of equal power, is now being made to
run electric head lights for locomotives It is
also expected to be used in boats, and will be
especially valuable in that from the fact that
it can be reversed instantly, no matter at what
speed it may be running. [
Another patent of the Doctors which has been
received with favor is apparatus for generat- |
ing gas, to be used In Bergeon's treatment for
This is the method which was in
vestigated few weeks since by DIR. Maxwell, of |
this city. and noted in the newspapers at the
time. The apparatus consists of two TASKS with
bined carbonic acid gas and sulphuretted hydro
gen gas used in this treatment can be generated
without danger of explosion.
Welcome to Pa.
Detroit Free Press.